I like to start with the flavour text of gods before getting into the rules text. I think that formulating concepts, and then ensuring that the rules match those concepts, is integral towards a good play experience. That might be why DCC is such a good fit for me!

Below are the concept statements for the Hidden Cults found in the Golden City of Shanthopal, which will be a campaign hub for my own game. Shanthopal is a crossroads and a trading hub in the Ancient Earth, far in our own future, after the moon has cracked. The city rests upon layers and layers of older work, and, although one of the great metropolises of its day, much of it lies open and uninhabited. Well, uninhabited by mortal folk, in any case.

As always, feedback is greatly appreciated.

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The Hidden Cults: There are several cults in Shanthopal which cannot reveal their existence, often upon the pain of death. They identify other cultists with passwords and hidden signs, and aggressively deal with any who would share such with non-cultists. They are feared and hated by the common folk, but not always actively hunted by the Watch, for they are afraid as well. Chief among the hidden cults of Shanthopal are:

Bubonosis the Rat God: Envisioned as a lean rat of gigantic size, with black fur and red eyes, or as a creature half-man and half-rat, Bubonosis is the God of Vermin whose hidden cult infests Shanthopal. He holds sway over rats, cockroaches, silverfish, centipedes, ticks, bedbugs, and similar pestilent things. Although not a god of disease, His work and his followers bring sickness with them wherever they go. His cultists are ratmen and the downtrodden, and He is in turns placated and cursed by the poor and the wealthy alike.

Cthulhu: Hidden cultists within the city work at bringing about the return of Cthulhu and the end of the world of man. Their leaders know that the return of Cthulhu is inevitable; time is nothing to Dread Cthulhu, and when His Dreaming ends, surely He will Arise. Cthulhu values strength of will and purpose, the acquisition of power, and the subjugation of the weak to His service. Cthulhu has plans of his own, and sends demons even in his dreaming state to enforce his will upon the mortal plane. Cthulhu seeks neither to preserve or destroy the Dominion of Men. They are as nothing to Him. Those in His path are destroyed without malice or thought; those who stay far away from His minions and His schemes are left alone.

Dagon: An ancient and vile sea-god, Dagon still has hidden enclaves of worshippers in the Ancient Earth. They mate with the Deep Ones that come into the caverns below the city under cover of darkness. Dagon is not disinterested in the world of men, and actively seek the downfall of the human species. He is envisioned as a crowned man-fish, with a human torso and arms and two fish tails rather than legs. In times long past, folk worshipped Dagon as a patron of grain agriculture, and sacrifices of grain still play a part in His sacred rites. Cultists of Dagon remain hidden as best they can.

Hecate: This Goddess of Dark Magic and Witchcraft is often envisioned as a bare-breasted, comely woman of moderate years, but She can appear young or old as She desires. She often travels with a brace of hell hounds, whose tongues lap green fire. She brings dark secrets from beyond the stars, behind the moon, and beneath the earth, and Her messengers whisper in the ears of witches. Those who would call down foul curses, or seek traffic with the Dead, may belong to the hidden cult of Hecate.

Kallamourn: Known as the All-Mother, the Mother of Shadows, and Devouring Mother, Kallamourn represents both Creation and Destruction and the seemingly-random nature of existence (which her cultists know as “The Dance of Kallamourn”, whose steps, they believe, are known by the goddess alone). Her priests perform rites of human sacrifice, which alone would see her cult banned in Shanthopal, but Her cultists also set upon random victims (often, but not always, at the dark of the moon). These random victims are often befriended first, then strangled or stabbed from behind. Once a victim is marked to fall beneath the trampling feet of the Dance of Kallamourn, escape is not easy. The cultists will keep trying until the next new moon.

Mellythese: The Great Spider is the Goddess of Spiders, Treachery, Venom, and Deceit. She is depicted as a gigantic black and red spider with cunning, evil eyes. Mellythese is worshipped by the treacherous, by those bent to evil in their quest for vengeance, and by magicians who are seduced by the false lure of easy power.

Yog-Sothoth: An elder god with limitless knowledge, to which time and space mean nothing, Yog-Sothoth demands human sacrifices to fuel his eternal hunger. Yog-Sothoth knows and touches all points of the universe at all times, but he is locked beyond the confines of time and space, unable to manifest fully within the universe. Although he knows many ways to open the lock that bars him from our plane, none of these is safe or easy, and insanity is the lot of those who follow Yog-Sothoth’s tutelage too closely. He is described alternately as a collection of iridescent bubbles and appendages that radiate a dark malignancy; a flying monstrosity with thin, spaghetti-like tentacles; and a dark shadow of indeterminate shape, but colder than the spaces between the stars. His cult is illegal in Shanthopal, and remains hidden.

The Celestial Temple of Kathur-Leung: This place is the Seat of the Celestial Agency in Golden Shanthopal, where the Nine Thousand Gods of the East may be worshipped. Many of these gods are ancestral deities, the honoured progenitors of various families. Others are gods of places far distant, who are mostly deaf to the prayers of those who have travelled so far west. Chief among the gods honoured here are these four:

Chandar-Han: The God of Merchants, Thieves, and Pilgrims appears as a rotund, serene man with golden skin and a bald head. Chandar-Han is invoked for luck and for the acquisition of wealth. He protects caravans and travellers to far lands, as well as pilgrims to holy shrines in the East.

Leung Ku: The God of Truth and Testing appears as a great black oriental dragon. It is his duty to oversee bonds sworn in his name, and punish transgressors. Major trade contracts with merchants from the Great Eastern Empire are often witnessed by priests dedicated to Leung Ku.

Leung Wang Sut: The Minister of the Dead is called upon to lay citizens of Kathur-Leung to rest. He unites the recently deceased with their ancestors if they are honourable, and assigns them to their proper punishment if they are not. He appears as a tall, thin man with jet black skin, wearing jet black clothing, and bearing a jade green sword.

Yin Ko: Goddess of Mercy, Kindness, Healing and Motherhood, who appears as a young woman in jade green robes bearing an ornate ivory fan. She was a minor deity who has since gained prominence, and the priests devoted to her have reached even somewhat westward of Golden Shanthopal. She is said to aid mothers in labour by blowing away their birthing pains with her ivory fan, so that easy births are said to be “blessed by the fan’s breath”.

In addition, these gods have become somewhat known in Shanthopal:

Ancestral Gods: Even the lowest family in Kathur-Leung has honoured ancestors, and they may carry some of the bones and relics of those ancestors when they travel, for guidance, protection, and connection to their distant kin. These ancestors are weak gods at best, but they may be consulted as spirits, and may become the patrons of descendants dabbling in magic.

Chaagaa Mar, the Protector of the East: The avatar of this fierce god travels the material plane, seeking more to redress wrongs than to actually protect travellers from far Kathur-Leung. He dresses in red armour and wields a flaming sword known as “Hu-Dadao the Justice Maker”. Chaagaa Mar can be evoked in terrible curses, to avenge great wrongs, but those who call upon him do so with caution, for He has been known to destroy those who call on Him unjustly. The Protector of the East seeks his targets in honourable combat or execution; He does not sneak in the night. Thus, it is sometimes possible to escape His justice by continually moving. Some claim it is possible to travel so far West that He will not follow.

Hai San: The God of Poets is viewed as a slender youth with dark hair and eyes, whose face and words can melt the most hardened of hearts. He is called upon by young lovers and would-be lovers, and sometimes by orators and musicians.

Malut: The Demons of the Winds are hideous creatures, horned and fanged with great tusks and huge bat-like wings. The Northern Malut is blue, the Southern Malut is green, the Western Malut is yellow, and the Eastern Malut is red. They may offer cooling breezes as well as storms and tempests. They may give ships a fair wind or sink them in hurricanes. The Malut are often propitiated by those of Kathur-Leung before a trip by water, with offerings of flowers thrown upon the tide. In dire circumstances, the Malut may be given sacrifices of blood.

Zu-Jarris: No one can say what the God of Assassins looks like, for he is never seen in His own guise. Although worshipping Zu-Jarris is illegal in Shanthopal, his name is still called upon by Eastern assassins, and He is given offerings by those who would avert His attentions.

Ansha: The Goddess of Darkness and the Night, Patron of thieves and harlots. Ansha appears as a beautiful and well-proportioned dark-skinned woman, clad in black and green. Her temples are gardens tended by sacred prostitutes, where venomous serpents are handled by the priestesses without fear. On procession days, the priestesses carry an image of the goddess whose nipples drip milk.

Aphrodel: The beautiful Aphrodel is Goddess of Love, Beauty, Physical Passion, the Sea, and Running Waters. She appears as a beautiful young woman with dark green hair and a greenish tint to Her olive skin. Aphrodel intercedes on the behalf of lovers, and is the patron of gentle mermaids who quiet the monsters of the deep.

Ban-Estat: The Lady of Cats is the Goddess and Mistress of all felines, which are holy to Her and Her priestesses. She is also associated with pleasure and the night. Ban-Estat is depicted sometimes as a dark woman with cat-like qualities, and sometimes as a great cat.

Freysis: A Goddess of Magic and Fertility from the Western Lands, Freysis is usually depicted as a powerful woman dressed in white furs. She is known as the Herald of the Spring in Northern Lands. Her magic comes in the form of music, and requests to this goddess must be made in verse to be successful.

Indalli: The Goddess of Agriculture, Husbandry, Healing, and Mercy usually appears as a tall woman with the head of a cow, although She is sometimes depicted as a cow instead. Cattle are sacred to Her, and Her clerics cannot consume their flesh. She represents the bounty of the harvest and the partnership of man and his domesticated animals, and eases suffering. The Milk of Indalli is a rare liquid that sometimes condenses upon Her idols, and drips into the bowl kept always at Her feet. The Milk of Indalli can cure all ills, and even reverse death if it is applied soon enough. Being granted even a small vial of the sacred Milk is a great honour, and reserved for those who have done real service to the Temple.

Lebka: The Goddess of Luck, who is envisioned as spinning the Wheel of Fate. When a person’s luck is running well, he may wish to act “before Lebka spins”, whereas a person hoping for a change of luck may pray, “Lebka spin your Wheel!” She is envisioned by some as a maiden in the bloom of her youth, by others as a proud matron, and by others yet as a withered crone. It all depends upon what luck Lebka’s wheel holds.

Pythysis: Associated with the Underworld, the deep seas, and the catacombs below Shanthopal, Pythysis is a Goddess of Wealth and the Protector of the Dead. She jealously guards the mineral wealth of the deep places with cave-ins, poisonous gasses, monsters, drowning, and crushing pressure. Pythysis is also said to know many secrets of the Dead.

Thoth: A Southern God of Knowledge, Toth is depicted as a man in a white kilt or robes, with the head of either an ibis or a baboon. Ibis-headed Toth (Toth-Ibisis) is considered to be the manifestation of sacred knowledge, useful lore, and skill that benefits Mankind. Baboon-headed Toth (Toth-Urman) is the manifestation of knowledge without wisdom, things that should not be known, and knowledge that leads to destruction. It is said that, far back in the Pre-Mythic Age, it was Toth-Urman who whispered the secret of the Blossoming Death Clouds to foolish mortals.

Yistanna: The Goddess of Love and War, who feeds off Her lovers, leaving them old and broken, is the patron of the City-State of Mogga in Tigrippis. She is often depicted as driving a chariot pulled by scaly dragon-lions and wearing a Solar Crown, both of which indicate that She is a sun deity as well…in the hot South, the Sun is both the source of nourishment and the devourer. While a goddess of love, Yistanna represents jealous ardour and consuming passion rather than romantic or compassionate love.

Well, the Hidden Cults are just that....Some Neutral and mostly Chaotic cults that no one wants to meet on a moonless night.

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I also really like the word Shanthopal. Does it have some sort of meaning?

It is from the Ancient Esk tongue, and means "City That is Being Created by Raven Crowking for DCC RPG".

Each of these gods will get a more complete write-up later, to include things like "What does this god consider sinful?" and "What spells are appropriate to this God?", potentially specialized Disapproval or new spells for some, or specific divine request tables, etc. Certainly some new spells. Also, as you may note, some gods may also act as patrons, and those need to be developed.

The gods themselves stem from actual mythology, reworkings of Appendix N sources, and deities from my own past campaign settings. Julius Invincible, when I get to him, is PC fighter from a 1e campaign (back in high school, Lo! these many years ago) that I later elevated as a god for other players.

Pah-Thegnos: The God/dess of Wisdom and Combat appears as a slender youth of either gender, armed with a long spear or a rapier, and sometimes with a bronze shield embossed with an image of the sun. Pah-Thegnos’ shield, the Solaron, not only defends the go/dess, but can blast His/Her foes with searing light and flame. Pah-Thegnos represents thought before action, and fights calmly through skill rather than brute strength and aggression.

Dion: The Goddess of Wine is known as Dion the Beautiful when She brings joy and surcease from sorrow, and Dion the Harridan (or the Hag) when She brings violence, hangover, and regret. It is said by some that Dion the Beautiful is a lie to cozen men and steal youth, fair looks, and honest speech, but others say that it is the Hag who is an illusion, and that wine subdues the devils of deceit and inhibition that seek ever to control Men’s lives. They say that violence is the triumph of those devils, the regrets that come from wine are those of the devils’ not the drinkers’, and hangovers are the devils’ way of punishing those who desert them for the higher beings they become while drunk.

Aganar: Known as the Lord of Fire and Lightning, Aganar is the Smith of the Gods. He made the Solaron of Pah-Thegnos, and He creates the thunderbolts hurled by Mardan. Mortals who wield the work of Aganar without the permission of the gods are often withered and blasted by the attempt. Aganar takes the form of a gigantic and gnarled dwarf, served by one-eyed dwarves the size of giants, whose very skin, beards, and hair smolder from the heat of the forge.

Amaethon: The Lord of the Harvest carries a large sheaf of grain in His arms, and vine leaves entangle His short hair and fall about His shoulders like a mantle. Amaethon is often depicted dressed as a peasant farmer, with a stylised tree upon His tunic. Farmers, vintners, and those who cultivate the land worship Him.

Artemis: The Goddess of the Hunt is depicted as an incredibly beautiful young girl armed with a bow. She is often shown riding a doe with stag’s horns, or is depicted with stag’s horns Herself. Although many hunters, foresters, and rangers worship (or placate) Her, She only allows females into Her priesthood.

Aulshaka: The Old Man of the North, this god is seldom worshipped in the warm lands around Shanthopal, but is much feared in the North. His chief priestess is said to have a palace and a city beyond the last lands ruled by Men. The Northern Lights are said to be created by the magic of the Winter Witches who do his bidding at the Court of the Winter Queen. Aulshaka is the God of Cold and Winter. During harsh winters, northmen still burn stocks — wooden images of children — to placate his ill-will toward the world of Men. It is said that, in times past, the Old Bone Man demanded actual children to be burnt in his name, lest the springtime never return. Aulshaka is the grim god of the Ska raiders, who sometimes venture even so far as Shanthopal to trade their plunder and slaves.

Badur: Badur, the Judge of the Dead, is depicted as a dark, faceless man wearing dark robes, and bearing a greatsword made of dark stone. He is sometimes called the Bonewarden. Few worship Him, save undertakers and those who pray for the dead, though many pay Him heed. It is Badur whose task it is to assign the dead to the heavens or hells, or to grey limbo. His priests often seek out the un-dead, to deliver them to their Grim Lord’s judgement. They may also “borrow the dead” from Badur to perform tasks in the world of the living.

Belanus: Lithe Belanus, beloved of the elves, is often depicted as a young human or elf with a lyre. An olive wreath crowns his head, holding long hair away from his laughing face. Belanus is the God of the Sun, Music, Healing, and Prophesy, known also as the Ward Against Un-Dead.

Brigit: Fair Brigit is the Goddess of Hearth, Fire, Poetry, and Community. She is depicted as a young girl, clean of limb and bare of breast, unadorned save for a circlet of gold inlaid upon her brow. She is also known as the Virgin Goddess, for the priestesses who keep her communal hearths are sworn to remain virginal throughout the length of their service. Clerics dedicated to Brigit do not have to be female, only her hearthwards do.

Hermes: The God of Thieves, Liars, Gamblers, Messengers, and Arbitrators, is also known as the Lord of Secrets. In this last guise, He is also worshipped by magicians of all stripes. His symbol is the Caduceus, which is also a sign of healing, so that Hermes is also honoured by healers and chirgeons. He is depicted as a youth at the end of boyhood or just past, with winged sandals on his feet and bearing his serpent-twined rod of office.

Julius Invincible: Julius Invincible, Lord of Victory By Any Means, began as a warlord among the ancient Parthelonians, who came to power by slaughtering His own father. He is depicted as a cruel-faced man wearing blood-soaked armour. His cult appeals to Warriors and the ruthless.

Kulku Mara: The Dwindling God represents the dying fields of Artifice and Science. If Thoth gave Man the secrets of his own destruction, it is Kulku Mara that created the secrets that were given. In the far past, Kulku Mara was once great, and His oldest temples may yet be found, containing ancient artifacts and weapons of vast power. The modern clergy of Kulku Mara knows much of architecture and structural engineering, and understands the creation of siege weapons, but seldom knows more of the Old Science. Those bit and pieces of the Old Science known to the Dwindling God’s clerics are hoarded jealously, even if they no longer work, for not all of the Laws and Workings those objects followed still hold true upon the face of the Ancient Earth.

Mardan: Known as the Bringer of the Law, Mardan is worshpiped by those who prefer the benefits and comforts of civilised order to Chaos. He is depicted as a jet-black man with four arms and green eyes. He is said to hurl thunderbolts in judgement, and is often depicted with two thunderbolts, a morningstar, and the Book of Law.

Mellador: Mellador is a Goddess of Mercy, Shipwrecked Sailors, and Fertility. She is often depicted with a serpent-staff, her right hand raised in benediction, as though to heal the wounded onlooker. Mothers, sailors, fishermen, and healers worship Her, though many others come to Her for aid. The Sisters of Her order are known as Mellorites, and they are charged with bringing comfort and aid to all things save only those creatures of Chaos whom they shun.

Morgas: The Goddess of the Air and Mistress of Birds is depicted in a cloak of green and black feathers. Crows, vultures, and eagles are especially sacred to Her, and She is known as the Lady of the Battlefield and the Attendant of the Dying for this reason. The Temple of Morgas does not bury its dead, but raises them on high instead, that the carrion birds may pick the bodies clean before the bones are burnt. It is said that Morgas receives tidings from all the birds of the world, and therefore knows many things others would rather stay hidden.

Mul: The Huntsman of the North, Mul’s horn is heard in the thunder. On wild, stormy nights, Mul leads his pack through the skies. Few venture out on nights when the Wild Hunt is abroad, for Mul’s hounds have the lambent green fire of Hell in their eyes, and his cohort is comprised of the Dead.

Nikushas: The winged Goddess of Victory and the Dawn, who brings hope out of darkness, Nikushas is depicted as having skin the colour of the sky at dawn — deep blue-purple flushed with rose.

Pan: The God of Nature and Wild Passions, Pan is imagined as a satyr, sometimes charming, sometimes frightening. His piping has the power to invoke the animal passions of lust, fury, or panic, as He wills. He is the God of Wild Places, resentful of the encroachment of Man. In ages past, Great Pan has been declared dead many times, but always He has returned whenever and wherever the Rule of Man is weakest.

Proteus: Known as the Ever-Changing, Proteus is the God of Seas, Oceans, Streams, and Earthquakes. He is feared by sailors, and by those who dwell where the earth trembles. Proteus is not loved by Men, but he is feared, and folk who make their living by the sea give sacrifices at His temple in hopes of averting his malignant attention. Proteus has no set form. All disasters by water may be Proteus; every split rock and heaving motion of the earth His handiwork.

Uarthos: Called the Sleeping God or the Dreaming God, Uarthos is the God of Sleep, Dreams, Healing, and Inspiration. He is worshipped by poets, lovers, and dreamers of all sorts. He is often depicted as a well-formed giant, with serene features, meditating or asleep.

Sobek: Lord of Crocodiles, Sobek is more often appeased than worshipped.

Hidden Cults:

Set:

The serpent-god Set is a God of Evil and Chaos, patron of serpents and serpent-men, and master of dark magics.Other Religions:

Beast Cults:

In the world of the Ancient Earth, every animal type has a Beast Lord, a creature that is a perfect representative of its species type. Many Beast Lords are also depicted in human, or semi-human, form. The Beast Lords are worshipped mainly by intelligent and/or awakened animals, faerie animals, shape-changers, and humanoids whose forms mirror the Beast Lord they worship. Some Beast Lords have cults with human followings, however, and some Beast Lords have created “elevated” humanoid animals to worship them. In general, Beast Lords are Neutral. Creatures with long association with Man tend to be Lawful, and those inimical to Man tend to be Chaotic.

Example larger write-up of a god, although I've yet to work out the clerical details:

Aganar (Lord of Fire and Lightning, Smith of the Gods)Minor Power<---Largely for use in spell duels and similar contests, where greater gods give a bonus over lesser.

Alignment: LawfulPortfolio: Fire, Lightning, Metalworking, Dwarves, Lawful Giants and CyclopesSymbol: Anvil embossed with a thunderboltClerical Raiment: Rough cloth or leather, with a leather smith’s apron (sometimes stylised or dyed red or yellow). Clerics of Aganar have no restrictions to the armour they can wear. Clerics are expected to grow beards, if they are male. Being unable to grow a beard is shaming; shaving is a sin.Organisation: The High Forge at Mount Dunbadden is Aganar’s seat of power, and where the High Priest of Aganar, called the “High Smith”, rules. Each temple (led by a Master Smith) owes fealty to the High Forge, and shrines and churches (maintained and operated by Smith Fathers) owe their fealty to their local temples in turn. Wandering clerics are known as Journeymen Priests, and lesser clergy of the temples are known as Apprentices.Places of Worship: Simple services to Aganar can be performed at any place where there is a forge or an anvil, or where there is sufficient heat to melt metal (such as within an active volcano). Shrines to Aganar are often hot, and use an anvil for their altar. Shrines to Aganar are always found in churches and temples dedicated to the Seven Good Gods.

Details of Power: Aganar is the Smith of the Gods. He made the Solaron of Pah-Thegnos, and He creates the thunderbolts hurled by Mardan. Mortals who wield the work of Aganar without the permission of the gods are often withered and blasted by the attempt. Aganar takes the form of a gigantic and gnarled dwarf, served by one-eyed dwarves the size of giants, whose very skin, beards, and hair smolder from the heat of the forge.

Associations: Aganar is one of the Seven Good Gods, along with Amaethon, Belanus, Brigit, Mardan, Mellador, and Nikushas. These gods were once worshipped by the ancient Hak and Esk peoples, and are often worshipped together. His worshippers have a working relationship with the followers of Julius Invincible and Morgas, who appreciate fine steel. Kulku-Mara’s knowledge is sought with caution, for He knows many secrets of ancient smithcraft, as is that of Thoth-Ibisis.Allies: Amaethon, Belanus, Brigit, Mardan, Mellador, and Nikushas. Aganar created the Solaron for Pah-Thegnos, and is allied with that deity.Foes: Pan, Proteus, and Pythysis. Pan is a powerful principle against the march of civilisation and craft. Proteus contest Aganar for the dominion of the deep places of the earth, and sends earthquakes that damage mines, the dwellings of dwarves, and the domains of Lawful giants. Pythysis seeks to protect the riches of the earth — including its metals — and thus comes into conflict with Aganar.

Holy Days: The Fire Stoking: Worshippers of Aganar and Brigit celebrate the Fire Stoking together in the dead of winter. This is usually on the Winter Solstice, but may be called earlier by the Brigitane if the winter is particularly cold, dark, or full of terrors. Bonfires are lit on sacred hearths, atop hills, and in the central halls of castles and keeps to drive away the cold, herald the return of the Spring, and drive off the shadows of the long night. This is the first day of the Yuletide Festival, and is a time of feasting and festival.What is Sacred: The anvil, the forge, and the tools of smith’s work are held in reverence, and must be used with respect. Refining metal from ore, and crafting metalwork is an act of devotion, and must be undertaken in a worshipful state of mind. Worshippers of Aganar need not be smiths, but must hold the working of metal as holy, and must pay due respect to the mastery of the art. Aganar is said to have His foundry and forge deep beneath the volcanic Mount Dunbadden in the Trollshank Mountains, far to the north of Shanthopal. It is at the foot of this volcano that His most important temple is maintained, and it is a point of pilgrimage to the faithful.What is a Sin: Killing a smith. Destruction of a forge or a place of metalwork. Failure to take good care of iron, steel, and other metals in your care. Destroying the work of smiths. Clerics of Aganar are expected to aid honourable dwarves and Lawful giants when asked; to refuse is a sin. Note that characters can sin (even clerics!) but there can be consequences. Sometimes sin is necessary for a higher good; that doesn't mean the deity in question will let that sin go without demanding some other sacrifice. A mortal who says "I had to do it!" and believes, therefore, that there should be no penalty, is presumptuous. Only the gods may forgive a sin. Only the gods know when a sin is necessary, or should be forgiven.Omens: Rust that advances more quickly than is natural, the breaking of an iron or steel weapon, metalwork that gives way unexpectedly, and flaws in smith-work are all omens of Aganar’s displeasure. Signs of Aganar’s favour include metal work that is better than expected, metal that does not tarnish or rust, the unexplained abatement of rust and restoration of a metal surface,

Details of Clerics:

Aganar as a Patron: Aganar does not respond when invoked for a Patron Bond spell.

Details of Clerics and actual Patron information will have to wait until I have time to use the book, which I cannot do right at the moment. However, is anyone interested in the other parts of the write-up for a particular Power? Is there any deity I should include that I missed? Also, is there any information I should include that I missed?

There is absolutely the sense that Shanthopal is a Mongol / Asian (China/Japan) / Egyptian / Greek / Lovecraftian land, based on the listed names of the gods. At times, however, there seem to be almost too much linguistic variation to be focused in one area.

Me? Personally? I'd switch some of the "real world" deities' names (Thoth, for example) to match the linguistic influences and nuance you've already established, and also to help disguise them from players who know mythology. I never feel complete immersion in a fantasy world when the names of people/places/gods are anachronistic or obviously stolen/lifted from existing "real world" sources. (Oddly, the Lovecraftian deities are the exception to that rule.)

There is absolutely the sense that Shanthopal is a Mongol / Asian (China/Japan) / Egyptian / Greek / Lovecraftian land, based on the listed names of the gods. At times, however, there seem to be almost too much linguistic variation to be focused in one area.

Thanks. Part of the idea of Shanthopal is that it is a crossroads/trading hub between north and south, east and west. As such, the gods of many areas have become active within this area. Areas outside Shanthopal will have additional gods whose cults have not yet manifested in the city.

Part of this is because Shanthopal is intended as a "campaign hub", where characters come from or gravitate to, and from which characters can explore any portion of the world (or multiverse)...by which I mean, a place that I can link any module I might wish to run to.

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Me? Personally? I'd switch some of the "real world" deities' names (Thoth, for example) to match the linguistic influences and nuance you've already established, and also to help disguise them from players who know mythology. I never feel complete immersion in a fantasy world when the names of people/places/gods are anachronistic or obviously stolen/lifted from existing "real world" sources. (Oddly, the Lovecraftian deities are the exception to that rule.)

IMO, YMMV, etc.

I have done that in some cases, but in others I wanted the players to recognize the names. I've tried to put a spin on the powers whose names are unchanged, so that they will not be wholly what the players expect. One of the conceits of the setting is that the Ancient Earth is our planet, far in the future (but not so far as the Dying Earth), where the rules that the cosmos obey have changed. Some of these gods, although nominally inactive on the Earth for a long time, are the same as were known to our ancestors. There is intended to be some implication that our current cosmos, as we experience it today, is actually influenced by some of these powers.

I'd like to include modern characters transplanted into the setting ala Merritt, Brackett, and Burroughs, so there will be connections to our time and earlier times within the setting...as well as to other worlds/planes and perhaps a farther future.

Very cool! How much scifi influence is there in the setting, practically speaking? I like the post apocalyptic theme you have going!

I am letting Appendix N be my guide on that score. And the core rules, that include androids and time travellers!

I'll also say this: the Teardrop...that blue star that follows the cracked Moon across the sky...is in actuality the remains of a space station. And I intend its exploration to be a 2nd-level adventure.

I'll also say this: the Teardrop...that blue star that follows the cracked Moon across the sky...is in actuality the remains of a space station. And I intend its exploration to be a 2nd-level adventure.

Second level?!? You've got me. 100% on board. When you have the adventure written, I'd love to playtest it.

I'll also say this: the Teardrop...that blue star that follows the cracked Moon across the sky...is in actuality the remains of a space station. And I intend its exploration to be a 2nd-level adventure.

Second level?!? You've got me. 100% on board. When you have the adventure written, I'd love to playtest it.

Done.

One of the things that happens in D&D these days is that "the cool" is the province of higher levels. Not so with DCC (as Harley Stroh has especially been teaching us!), just as it was not so "back in the day" with D&D before we "knew better". With Shanthopal, I want "the cool" to start at level 0 and remain in full effect as long as any character yet lives.

I've mentioned elsewhere that I am re-reading Appendix N, and reading some I'd not read before. My work here is going to reflect that to the best of my ability!

EDIT: Seriously, I've got some adventure design work to do, and I believe some artwork as well. I'm finishing my current RCFG campaign before jumping into DCC full-force at home, which means time to fully develop the setting. So this might not get written until the autumn.

OTOH, when I first started work on my home setting (Ancient Earth and Shanthopal), I wasn't thinking, "And then other people will like this, so perhaps I should publish", but perhaps other people may like this, and perhaps I should....?

That's alright. Full disclosure? I don't even have a gaming group right now so "playtesting" would have involved me sitting in a room by myself setting up combats against....myself, roleplaying against....myself.

All these shared bits of awesome settings are making it very, very hard for me to get my own "up to snuff".

So many ideas I see I like well enough that I would buy up the setting book right away and use it in place of my own homebrew (which is currently just a mess of half-thought ideas stuck firmly between my ears).

Keep up the excellent work, and if you ever start selling Shanthopal - I'll line up to buy it.

If you go back to the Appendix N stories, there is a lot of inter-planar travel going on (including to other times). So, if something doesn't match your vision for your campaign milieu, but you still want to use it, just include a planar portal or event to get there.

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